Worth My Time
by sun-emperor
Summary: Ayame made Arisa an offer. She's decided to see how it all turns out. Sequel to 'They Never Should Have Met'.


In 'They Never Should Have Met' Ayame Sohma made Arisa Uotani an offer. Now she decides to give it a try. A oneshot sequel to They Never Should Have Met, this is actually a bridge to another story I'll soon be starting. It will all make sense eventually. Thank you to the reviewers. Oh, and I randomly go back and forth between Arisa and Uo. It just felt right.

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It had been nearly four weeks before she had a day free from work that did not involve cleaning her apartment or doing laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills, or simply spending time with Tohru or Hana. And it had come entirely unexpected.

The baby powder she often used after showers were like a blanket of snow on the countertops in the bathroom. After growing tired of sneezing all the time, she decided to clean out the bathroom. So began the exercise of removing the rug and all other accessories before dusting and sweeping. Afterward, just staring at the broom in her hand, she knew it was no longer avoidable. The kitchen was next.

Tohru had to work today, which was unfortunate in itself but how things are. Normally, this would mean Uo invited herself to Hana's for afternoon tea and horror movie special.

Not today. Hana's family was having a reunion and while this should not have hindered her presence, it was out of town. They had left yesterday before her shift was over. Before she had experienced the weakness known as a spring cleaning.

So she tried reading the literature assignment. She learned it was futile after three pages of struggling to survive. None of the paragraphs were sinking in and her attention span was quickly losing its patience. She needed to do something. Be active. Sorry Hana.

Maybe get started on the essay due in three weeks? It would impress the teacher, that's for sure. Tohru would cheer loudly, Hana would stagger in pride. She couldn't wait to see their faces. So, yeah. Essay it was. First she'd write down what she actually knew (which wasn't much and bound to be inaccurate), then worked her way up. A rough draft, really. But it was better than nothing.

This meant she'd have to get her binder. Oh joy. The blank vastness of nothing. Taking the miniature lavender lamp off the miniature coffee table, she set it aside. Then lifted the coffee table and extracted the white binder from under the broken leg. She set the square table back down, watching it lean forward dangerously. She'd really have to get that fixed.

Until then, she replaced the binder with a phonebook.

Walking a short distance into the kitchen, Uo placed the binder on the counter. She leaned against it, settling on her elbows. The sleeves? Maybe it was in the rings. Or in the protective sheets? Oh well. Time to hunt down the elusive homework assignment.

She flicked through the small doodling she had done the day before. Poor Kyo (sense the sarcasm?) had been ran over with a jumping lawn mower. She smiled fondly before passing on. A returned assignment that she only received a score of twenty on. Class notes on the previous chapter.

Study review for the last exam. The letters passed between herself and Hana in class, penned in bright colors. Another drawing, this time of the Prince Yuki fan club being mysteriously erased from existence. In the end, it reminded her of American children shows where Daffy Duck insulted the cartoonist and got erased as a result.

And . . .flip back. An invitation? Plucking it out of the sleeve, she noticed the bottom corner was bent like it had been shoved roughly into place. She must've been in a hurry. It was a dark pink color with two large flowers as part of the background. White lettering traced the border.

Raising an eyebrow, Arisa turned it over to the other side. Typed coal black on stark white. Ayame Sohma. Creating fantasies and making dreams a reality. Below, a number and address. The shops hours were even included. So, a business card.

She had just tossed it in the garbage and the strangest thing happened as it sailed through the air. It felt like her entire life flashed before her eyes. Not only was it terribly short, but it recalled something very important. The paper floated, rocking from side to side on its descent.

A conversation she had with the Prince's brother not too long ago. Truthfully, she didn't know how long ago it was. But it didn't really matter, did it? He owned a fabric shop. Said he was expanding, thought of advertising in a magazine of some sort. If he planned to advertise, he'd need a model, right? This could be just what she needed. Just one chance, that's all. Just one chance.

For a moment, it felt all too warm. Flipping her hair back did not help, she realized afterward. Fanning herself and feeling ridiculous, Uo stared at the phone number. Should she call?

With a change into a button down white shirt with clear buttons, a small black purse set on her shoulder, and a hopeful glance back, Uo left her apartment. Almost skipped down the steps in anxiousness or excitement (she couldn't discern between the two right now). Panicked a block away when she remembered she didn't wear make-up. Would it matter?

Bravely continued on, despite her inner doubts. The damn voice that refused to leave, singing of imperfection and molten features. Dancing the waltz of unworthiness, blood spatters on the wall.

She could only suppose it was a good thing that the temperature wasn't too hot. Otherwise walking would not be the best decision. Glancing at her watch, she learned it was twelve minutes after ten. Single, thin lines replaced what should be numbers. The style was new and finding it amusing, Arisa had bought it immediately.

The added bonus was everybody's expression when they noticed it. Tohru's reaction was the best of all. She must've stared at the watch for ten minutes, lifting it up in the air to examine, holding it at a distance. She turned it upside down, thinking maybe she was holding it wrong. A flicker of doubt surfaced in her features before she corrected it. Her soft spoken reprimands to herself only increased Uo's affection for her friend.

Once again Uo checked the address. It was a part of town she rarely frequented. The businesses there were smaller than what is becoming the new trend of superstores. They also tended to have history, at least twenty years of experience. Since it was in the upkeep part of town and knowing the Sohmas were well-off, Uo didn't have to guess how Yuki's brother could afford it.

Although the merchandise wasn't exactly what many would call appropriate, the location of the store might have been more controversial. The street was known for its expensive tastes and fine reputation. The marketing of fantasy clothing was a risk in itself without further complications. But if Ayame's fluttering speeches or Tohru's gushing praise wasn't reliable enough, the profit margin certainly would be.

Arisa didn't care much to see how the shop was faring financially. It wasn't her concern. If they couldn't hire her as a model, it was no big deal. At least she'd tried.

Uo eyed the entrance to the shop. It was particularly odd. The windows advertised nothing about the products inside. A simple sign and color scheme was all to behold. For a striking moment, Uo had the strangest motion this man was preying on the curiosity of customers. A store with no display? How odd!

'Honey, let's go inside. Won't take more than a minute or two.'

'Oh dear! What is this place?'

'This? Here we make dreams a reality.'

Uo snorted, now she could even hear him in her head. Yeah, the guy was cooked. Shrugging, the blonde pulled open the heavy door, a light breeze of cool air escaping out of the building into the stale atmosphere outside.

_ This just better damn well be worth it._


End file.
